Tosh Baker attention to detail stood out for Notre Dame football coaches

The Notre Dame football team is continuing to prepare for the Sun Bowl, but the Irish are apparently accomplishing more than that. The team is also discovering some important things about itself and the people that will be there next year.

Among the things that Notre Dame football coaches are learning is who might be able to step up and start next season. Those potential starters are stepping up in the face of players sitting down for the bowl game, including Tosh Baker. 

Earlier this week, interim offensive coordinator Gino Guidugli talked about some of his decisions on who will play and who will start. Among them were very complimentary comments about Baker, a senior who can come back in 2024 thanks to the COVID pandemic rules.

"Both of those guys did a good job,” Guidugli told the media. “I think we’ve got good depth there. It was the attention to detail. Coach Rudolph does a great job with them. At the end of the day, Tosh (Baker) had a better week of preparation leading up to the game.”

Baker’s attention to detail is something that the current offensive staff obviously puts a lot of stock in. It’s not clear yet whether that’s a massive departure from what we saw with Gerad Parker. 

It’s possible they’re just able to lean on that kind of factor more since the game has meaning, but can also be treated like a high-profile practice. Guys like Tosh Baker really get to show what they can do.

Notre Dame football player wins job with attention to detail

Baker certainly didn’t really get to show what he could do during the regular season. With the Irish line intact, he appeared in eight games but got just 57 total snaps.

According to PFF, he didn’t perform all that well when he did play (44 overall grade according to PFF). Knowing that it will be interesting to see if Tosh Baker’s attention to detail can help Notre Dame football beat Oregon State in the Sun Bowl.